Spring Break
Penno's shot leaves mark on 'Hawks
Emile Dawisha
Issue date: 3/30/07 Section: Sports
Nathan Peavy watched. On the biggest stage of his career, the senior forward must have thought he had let his team down. In the case of a loss, his seven-point (2-for-9 shooting) effort would be the salient statistic that, in the media's eyes, steered Miami to defeat. Peavy's commendable career was about to end on a sour note, and without an NCAA tournament appearance. That is, unless that ball somehow found net.
Head Coach Charlie Coles watched. As the ball left Penno's hands, the folksy and lovably unrefined coach must have thought that his karmic well had ultimately run dry. Penno's penchant for late-game heroics highlighted Miami's midseason surge and helped mask the stench of the team's 5-10 start. Throughout, Coles was like the Wizard of Oz pulling levers behind a curtain, somehow making his ostensibly better opponents believe that his boys could play at their level. But in peaking behind the curtain, one saw a team that was less talented than Akron and less deserving of an NCAA Tournament ticket.
But alas, such is the beauty of the college basketball playoff system. Only the ball mattered now. The TV camera angle offered a perfect view of the ball's trajectory. And mere milliseconds after Penno released the shot, I noticed the ball veering off course.
"It's off," I thought. And then, "It's way off." And then … Bank.
Head Coach Charlie Coles watched. As the ball left Penno's hands, the folksy and lovably unrefined coach must have thought that his karmic well had ultimately run dry. Penno's penchant for late-game heroics highlighted Miami's midseason surge and helped mask the stench of the team's 5-10 start. Throughout, Coles was like the Wizard of Oz pulling levers behind a curtain, somehow making his ostensibly better opponents believe that his boys could play at their level. But in peaking behind the curtain, one saw a team that was less talented than Akron and less deserving of an NCAA Tournament ticket.
But alas, such is the beauty of the college basketball playoff system. Only the ball mattered now. The TV camera angle offered a perfect view of the ball's trajectory. And mere milliseconds after Penno released the shot, I noticed the ball veering off course.
"It's off," I thought. And then, "It's way off." And then … Bank.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Kathy Hume
posted 3/31/07 @ 1:17 PM EST
It was a thrilling 6.6 seconds to watch. As an alum that still follows the teams, it was a lot of fun watching them win, and then holding their own against Oregon. (Continued…)
Post a Comment